Let’s do bikini season a different way

If you’re alive and above the age of 5, you’re probably aware that it’s swimsuit season, with all the good (picnics, sunshine!) and also the bad (insecurity, fad diets!). If you’re alive and on the internet, you’ve probably also seen the #IMOMSOHARD video that skewers women’s swimsuit fashion as it deserves to be skewered.

When I'm at the beach, I'm there to lifeguard, build sandcastles, supply treats, re-stand the umbrella every dang time it blows over, spray sunscreen, drink a beer, look for seashells, warm-up wet kiddos, force people to eat sandwiches and drink juice, blow up water-wings, and keep my son from publicly urinating. Basically, I've got a really fun job to do and I don't have time to let a piece of lycra throw me off my game. #imomsohard #baywatch #swimsuit #cutouts #doubledecker #brave #moat #onelife #liveit #momlife #reallife #mombod #beach

All laughing aside, this bikini season bullshit is a real problem, y’all. What if we focused our energies on what our bodies could do, instead of how they look in miniscule, oddly cut pieces of fabric? (Full disclosure: I love me a strangely cut swimsuit. Give me all the straps and cutouts and what have you. But don’t make me feel like I have to punish myself to earn the right to wear it).

Wearing my all-time favorite swimsuit from prAna.

In a season full of fad diets and confidence-robbing workout programs, I’m hitching my wagon to a different kind of challenge. Because it’s not enough to just ignore the bikini bullshit; we’ve got to actively work toward something else, something better, something that honors us as people and as athletes and pushes us to do more and do it stronger.

So, in an act of defiance (I know, I’m SUCH a bold and daring rebel) but also because the summer gives us glorious opportunities to be outside and use our bodies on land and in water (in water! My favorite thing!), I’m joining the #AthleteInside challenge hosted by Designer Protein and Ben Zorn (yes, THAT Ben Zorn. Go ahead, google him if you need to).

Okay, confession time, I had to Google him … But still, cool, right?

I’ll take your bikini and raise you a wetsuit.

Anyway. The point of this challenge is to push ourselves to find the athlete inside and push our training to new heights, by incorporating new workouts and new recipes. Designer Protein will be sharing free workouts and recipes for the month of June, and the prizes aren’t bad, either. 🙂

The challenge launches TODAY (whee!) and the great thing is, you don’t need any equipment for the workouts. They’re pure body weight. So no excuses, folks.

To win prizes, make sure you check in on Instagram or Facebook as you do the workouts or follow nutrition plans. The tags are: